Costa Mesa Idol

It’s rare when you find a person who would not cower at the task of singing and dancing for the entertainment of hundreds of apprehensive onlookers.

But it was with showmanship and confidence befitting movie stars that 22 children and 22 adults sang karaoke for a chance to win $1,000 Saturday at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Three local girls and two local women were among the fields of contestants who put on costumes, popped in discs and picked up the microphone for the finals of SongBurst, an annual, American Idol-esque singing competition held at the Orange County Market Place.

Caleigh Wells, a 12-year-old from Corona del Mar, led off the competition by giving the audience a lesson in being cool. She sang “Popular” from the musical Wicked with the poise and coquettish charm of a high school prom queen on TV, giving the girls in the audience step-by-step instructions on how to be as charming as she.

“Oh, I’ll show you what shoes to wear, how to fix your hair, everything that really counts,” she sang.

As far as her hair was concerned, it lived up to the hype — long and straight with springy curls at the ends — but another contestant definitely had her beat in the shoe department.

Alyssa Henderson, the second-place finisher, fielded more questions about her four-inch, purple stilettos then she did about her excellent vocal performance.

During a short lull in the competition the emcee brought her up, told her to take off one of the heels and waved it in the air for the audience to see.

Other kids chose period appropriate costumes. One boy wore a shiny gold jacket with a silver-sequined collar, slicked back his hair, cradled the microphone under his chin and belted out an Elvis tune.

Another girl looked straight out of San Francisco circa 1970 as she sang Beatles’ hit “Let it Be.” She wore a homemade string of daisies around her head, a hemp shirt and a long necklace of wooden prayer beads she bought in India.

Her mother, who owns an antique shop, helped her put together the authentic-looking costume. Unfortunately, though, she forgot to tell her young daughter that they said “peace” in the Vietnam War days, not “peace out.”

Nicoli Pittman and Hayley Smith, two girls from Costa Mesa, both sang show tunes from musicals. Ten-year-old Nicoli sang “Circle of Life” from the Lion King, which she said she and her parents decided on while listening to an American Idol CD. Hayley, who said she learned to sing before she learned to talk, chose the more upbeat “Johnny One Note” from “Babes in Arms.”

“Everyone was singing slow songs, and I wanted something more energetic. I thought this song was perfect,” Hayley said.

The adult contest couldn’t match the kids contest for costumes and acting, but it was just as entertaining.

The third man on stage, Keith Allen, had a very imposing presence. At more than 6-feet tall, stocky and dressed in cowboy digs, he took the stage with a solemn face, waiting for his country-Western ballade to start playing. Instead a soft, slow R&B; tune began playing.

“That’s not my disc,” Allen said, without a hint of a smile on his face. The crowd waited nervously. Then, as the DJ frantically searched for the right track, a man with a mocking, thick Western accent cried out, “sing us some hip-hop.”

Allen immediately broke into an impromptu, a capella rendition of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s hit rap song “Baby Got Back,” drawing uproarious laughter from the audience.

Two women from Costa Mesa, Ashley Maldonado and Kristen Black, were among the youngest contestants in the adult division, both 20. The pair are housemates who recently moved to California from their hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Maldonado was the first to perform, singing a soulful version of the Dixie Chicks single “There’s your Trouble,” despite a soar throat that assailed her vocal chords that morning. She is mostly self-taught and said that she got her start in music singing Bible hymns at age 3.

“I have it all documented for my E! True Hollywood Story,” she said, laughing.

It’s hardly necessary to mention the wild hoots and hollers that Black received from the mostly cowboy-clad audience when she sang “Redneck Woman,” by Gretchen Wilson.

When asked after the show if she was, in fact, a redneck woman, Black’s only response was, “I am from Wyoming.”

At the end of the day, none of the Newport-Mesa contestants went home with prizes, but they put forth a valiant and extremely entertaining effort.

The winner of the youth division was Cassie Gaylord, and the winner of the adult division was Edward Pimentel.

MEET THE CONTESTANTS

Name: Hayley Smith

Age: 13

City: Costa Mesa

Song: “Johnny One Note,” from the musical “Babes in Arms”

Name: Caleigh Wells

Age: 12

City: Corona del Mar

Song: “Popular,” from the musical “Wicked”

Name: Nicoli Pittman

Age: 10

City: Costa Mesa

Song: “Circle of Life,” from the musical “The Lion King”

Name: Kristen Black

Age: 20

City: Costa Mesa

Song: “Redneck Woman,” by Gretchen Wilson

Name: Ashley Maldonado

Age: 20

City: Costa Mesa

Song: “There’s your Trouble,” by the Dixie Chicks

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.